Auroville Cultural Exchange (ACE), established in 2003, is a relatively new entity among dozens of working groups in Auroville. Apart from Aurovilians, such as Ruslan D. (project co-ordinator), Prabavathi V., Rita S., Namah, Vladimir S., and others, the ACE's activities have so far been supported by a number of volunteers from outside Auroville too. Without the generous help of such photographers as Aurovici Sercomanens, Surya Refuveille, as well as Satyajit (the son of the Dhananjayans), you would never see most of the photos on this web site.
ACE has established working relations with many partner organizations such as Sri Aurobindo Ashram (Pondicherry), Alliance Francaise (Pondicherry), Russian Cultural Centre (Chennai), Tchaikovsky Music Club (Chennai), and many others.
Inspiration
Our work is inspired by sources such as the Irumbai legend and Natyashastra: "In the mansion of my grandfather (Pururavas) the performance of a drama based on the composition of my grandfather had been demonstrated by Urvasi before the inmates of the harem. When she vanished, the king (my grandfather) died of sheer madness and the inmates of the harem too died. So this art got lost. We wish that this esteemed art should be manifested on the earth again. It shall be conducive to auspiciousness at the rites of the Yajnas performed on different lunar days. Plays comprising of many characters shall be produced in my abode with the graceful movements of women"Our aims
- Just as Sri Aurobindo re-discovered the true meaning of the four Vedas, the authentic classical Indian dancers should be assisted in their task of re-discovering the ancient art of in the fifth Veda (Natya Veda) and spreading this authentic spiritual art all over the world.
- The "cultural exchange" as we see it implies:
- spiritual enrichment of the non-Indian cultures through the medium of the classical Indian dance forms, primarily Bharatanatyam and Odissi
- bringing into the field of the classical Indian dance in India the best of the arts management culture and organization from the West
- creating a space where the artistes could find support and work opportunities, and where the spectators and producers could find the highly talented authentic dancers and their production
How we work
- we are not involved in political activities in Auroville or elsewhere
- unlike other ogranizations, the artistes that we select to work with are exclusively the ones that satisfy the criteria of a professional dancer (patra) stated in the Natya Shastra
- unlike other ogranizations, we judge the dancers by their performance alone, and not by any other criteria, such as their caste, social status, political connections, organizational affiliations, family background, formal qualifications, ethnicity, etc.
Funding
Due to the absence of any lobbying and other political activities, ACE is yet to receive any funding from the Auroville Economy Group, Bharat Nivas Group, etc.
Its activities have so far been funded by sponsors and well-wishers. Its account with the Auroville Financial Service (also known as Pour Tous Account) is 0274. Click here to learn how you can send your contribution.
Contact
You can reach us |
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by email at |
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by phone at |
+91-(0)9841629630 |
by post at |
Waves,
Auroville, Kottakupam Post Office, Tamil Nadu, India 605104 |
